annalex certainly could have offered to withdraw the comment - and as long as the post(s) got pulled, I would have honored it and withdrawn myself from the discussion, leaving the "caucus" designation intact. FWIW, had annalex said in post #29 that Calvinism was "included" and not "excluded", I would have equally withdrawn, because no contention would have raised against Calvinism by the use of the name.
In other words once a comment is made to distinguish limited atonement from general atonement in a discussion distantly related to the principle topic, the thread immediately is thrown open to people who want to cheer lead for their denomination and slander other denominations? Is that really how it should work?
That wasn't the comment that did it, MD. "Limited atonement" didn't do it - "Calvinists believe so-and-so, and so-and-so confession excludes them because of it" was the comment. Note that I'm not saying that annalex was "picking a fight" by bringing Calvinism up - I don't believe he was doing so, and I appreciated the tenor of his posts wherein he did. But if you're going to discuss the other guy's group, you either modify the designation to include them in your caucus (i.e. Catholic/Orthodox/Calvinist Caucus), or you drop the designation entirely. Either way, you must give them the opportunity to respond. I don't see a third option here, unless you think talking about a group behind their backs is a legitimate choice.
What if I said,"Calvin teaches [such and such]." Whom (if anyone) would I have to admit then? When somebody, a Catholic, who might not have thought about it before comes to the thread and asks about "pro multis", if an answer is given that discusses the various POVs about the question, does that mean the thread has to forfeit caucus status?
I don't think that saying Calvinism was excluded or included was meant as a put-down (if that's relevant). At the worst it would have been a report of a put down. I mean it's like "When those guys decided to put 'for all' as a paraphrase of 'pro multis', they -- those guys, not me, annalex -- were saying,'We don't think what Calvinists think.'" I'm serious, that I did not see the issue as a put-down but as a distinction in two differing theological POVs
To me "limited atonement" is a logical necessity once you have irresistible grace. The whole package fits together very well and persuasively in my mind, even though I am no longer persuaded. I can certainly see how devout and reasonable people of good will could reach that conclusion.
But it's not irrelevant that the cpnversatin seemed to be going away from approving "for all" and wishing they'd stuck with "for many". (Once when I was celebrating I got acute fumble-mouth and said "for you and not for many," and must have turned several new and interesting shades of scarlet.)
And my other question still goes, I think: What group is "the Calvinists"? If somebody put up a thread entitled "Thomist" I don't know if I'd include myself or not. If they put up a thread dissing or just discussing (or cussing? heh heh heh) John of Damascus, I wouldn't think they were talking about me. Is there a TULIP denomination?
Now I have to go worry if discussing is half way between dissing and cussing.